Behind The Barred Door
by ilovetvalot
Summary: By reader request, the missing chapters regarding Morgan & Garcia's adventure in the supply closet from Unexpected Surprises. Not necessary to read Unexpected first. Can stand alone.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: Hello, readers! We hope that you all enjoy this new contribution, which is actually an expansion of a minor event that was mentioned in Chapter 80 of Unexpected Surprises. You, the wonderful readers, asked for it, and we are glad to provide this little adventure with Penelope Garcia and Derek Morgan….and the time that they were locked in the supply closet!**_

_**If you haven't been reading Unexpected Surprises, you will still be able to follow this story line perfectly fine. But, please, give it a try to if you have time. Please let us know what you think! And for my loyal readers, that's it until Sunday night...Need to get you guys some chapters stored up.**_

**Behind That Barred Door**

**Chapter One**

Glancing apprehensively through the ajar door of the supply closet cum overflowing file room, JJ tamped down on her nervousness. This was a necessary evil, she reminded herself as Penelope Garcia's muffled curses filtered out of the dim room with startling regularity. None of them could live this way anymore. There might not be much she could do for the ongoing tension between Hotch and Emily right now, but this...she could fix this. At least, she hoped she could.

Anxiously gazing around the corner toward the metal staircase that led to her husband's office, she bit her lip. Clandestine operations were soooo not her forte. She was in the FBI, not the CIA, after all! But again, it was necessary, Jareau. Crap! Rossi! She meant Rossi. She was a Rossi now. She had the rings and marriage license to prove it. See, this just went to prove that the current atmosphere they all resided in was killing her precious brain cells. And it was glaringly obvious that she needed her faculties about her. Especially if she was going to be able to raise an overactive toddler, be married to one famously devious FBI agent, and manage this bunch of crazies she claimed as her family.

It was true. Drastic times did indeed call for drastic measures. Sticking her blonde head back inside the door, she interrupted her best friend mid-rant. "Garcie, I'm thinking those files might be on that high shelf over there," JJ called out, pointing to the towering metal rack at the far end of the oversized walk-in closet. I'll just go grab Dave or somebody to reach it for us."

"Only you, Peaches," Penelope said with an accusing glare in her direction, "would need a dusty old case file from fifteen years ago," she grumbled, sneezing violently as she inhaled yet another dust bunny. Honest to goodness, why hadn't one of those so-called janitors used one of those nearby brooms for its intended purpose?

"We both know that serial killers don't have expiration dates, Pen," JJ shrugged in sweet denial. "Hold tight a second. I'll find us some help."

Quickly backing back into the hallway as she heard another sneeze followed by a yelped curse, she yielded a healthy sigh of relief. Halfway to the successful execution of her nefarious plan! She could do this. But feeling familiar arms sliding around her waist, she winced as she heard an easily recognizable against her ear. "What're you up to, Bella?"

"Me?" JJ asked, her voice high even to her own ears as she turned in his arms, pushing him gently back down the hallway before Garcia could overhear them and her well laid plans disintegrated. "Nothing."

"And now you're lying," Dave grinned, allowing her to back him away from the file room door. "Am I going to approve of whatever that brilliant mind of yours has cooked up, Jen?"

"Uhhh..." JJ faltered anxiously, her eyes darting from side to side as she bit the tip of her lip again, "I don't think you'd disapprove, per se."

"Is it gonna involve handcuffs and bail money?" Dave inquired, raising a brow heavenward. He might have only been married to this beauty for just a few weeks, but he was well aware of her abilities to execute any plan she so desired, usually without his knowledge.

"Of course not!" JJ huffed indignantly, dragging him by the arm down the hallway when his footsteps slowed. Well, she amended to herself, at least she hoped not. She was pretty sure no one would arrest her for what she'd planned, but handcuffs might not be a bad idea. And if she knew Penelope Garcia, she might find some pretty kinky uses for the extra hardware.

"JJ," Dave drawled as he tightened his fingers around hers. "Tell me this has nothing to do with Aaron and Emily," Dave ordered sternly, yanking her closer.

Eyes widening as she felt his hand tug against hers, JJ shook her head. Okay, she could be completely honest about that. There weren't any current plans percolating regarding that dynamic duo. At least, not yet. But if this intervention went well...who knew. "I promise, Dave. This has nothing to do with Hotch or Em. I swear," JJ promised solemnly, her hand raised in the air just as it had been when she had taken her oath of service to the Bureau.

Stopping in front of the elevator, Dave leveled his wife with a measured look, narrowing his eyes at her decidedly fake attempt at innocence. "Fine. But I'm disavowing any and all knowledge of whatever you've cooked up if your plans go awry."

"Hey!" JJ yelped. "First, you're assuming that there's some kind of clandestine operation going on here. Which, I might add, I have not admitted to. Second, you said "for better AND for worse", Rossi! You'd think you'd have learned after four marriages that you're supposed to stand WITH your wife," JJ muttered as he pressed the down button on the elevator.

"Babe, I'll always stand with you...I'm just not gonna be standing beside you when you get caught and your plan, whatever it is, backfires," Dave chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to her parted lips as the elevator dinged its arrival. "Gotta go meet with Strauss," he said, stepping into the car, "and Hotch just left with Emily for her doctor's appointment."

"Reid and Morgan?" JJ inquired quickly before the doors could slide closed, her eyes widening as she sought the information to complete her nefarious plan.

"Reid's getting ready to cut out and Morgan's working on some reports," Dave replied. "I'll be back in a couple of hours. Behave!" he ordered, wagging his finger as the doors mercifully closed.

Snorting derisively as she stared at the two panels of closed gray steel in front of her, she thought dryly, so much for husbandly love and support. But that was neither here nor there, she told herself firmly. She had a mission to complete. For the benefit of the team's collective sanity, she had to mediate a peace treaty between one enthusiastically deranged technical analyst and a profiler with an eternal bad boy complex.

And in her head, she could hear Henry's Bob the Builder video chanting, "Can we fix it?!"

"Yes, I can," JJ muttered, striding determinedly back down the corridor toward the bullpen...and Derek Morgan.


	2. Chapter 2

**Behind the Barred Door**

**Chapter Two**

Striding in what she hoped was a confident, assertive manner into the almost deserted bullpen of the Behavioral Analysis Unit, JJ pasted on her best dazzling "you can't refuse me anything smile" and made her way towards Derek Morgan's desk.

Now, Derek Morgan was a highly intelligent man...a catch by most women's standards. But JJ knew he was meant for more than simply playing the field, drifting his way aimlessly from one female bed to another. She'd briefly thought he was going to attempt finding his serious side with Emily. Very briefly. Thank God, Hotch had come to his senses before things had gotten too complicated. As it was, Morgan and Hotch had only seriously damaged their longtime friendship, and the brawny black profiler had only heaped another healthy dose of woe on the woman he truly needed to be with.

Rolling her eyes as she approached him, she reminded herself that this HAD to work. Locking them together would have one of two outcomes. Either they'd give into their long denied feelings for each other and screw like bunnies, thus giving somebody the happy ending they deserved, OR they'd kill each other and she wouldn't have to worry about either of them anymore. It was a win-win.

It had to be a win. Losing wasn't an option for her. For any of them.

Smiling at Derek as he looked up from the file sprawled across his desk, she saw him tilt his head slightly. "I know that look, Jayje," he said, pointing a finger at her as his eyes narrowed in self-protection. "You want something."

"Why does everybody in this place always say that every time I approach them?" JJ asked innocently, giving him the same look that she used on Dave when she wanted to redecorate and needed him to be the assigned furniture mover.

"Maybe because we know you," Derek smirked, shaking his head. "Oh, we love ya, Jayje," he said quickly as she opened her mouth for what was sure to be a scathing comment, "But we know you. Besides, don't you have a husband now for all those little favors of yours?"

"I do," JJ nodded, smiling sweetly. "But he's with Strauss."

Grimacing, Derek shook his head. "Rather do whatever grunt work you've got up your sleeve than have to deal with her again," Morgan shuddered, the memories of his recent close-by-necessity relationship with the Section Chief still providing him with countless fodder for his nightmares.

"Had your fill of being "the man", huh?" JJ asked smugly.

""The Man" gets screwed on a regular basis, Jayje. And not in that real good way that I'm such a fan of either," he muttered, pushing away from his desk and rising to tower behind it. "Whatcha you need, girl?"

Swallowing her nervousness as she saw the culmination of her golden plan hovering just beyond her grasp, JJ smiled. "Your brawn and muscles. Got a bunch of boxes in the file room that I can't reach. And, like I said, Dave's gone. So's Hotch."

"Yeah," Morgan grunted, following JJ toward the door. "He took Em to the doctor."

"How's that going?" JJ asked, trying to keep her voice light, not wanting to give away any of her secret plan.

"Better than it's going with Garcia," Morgan mumbled, shoving his hands in his grey slacks guiltily, his eyes dropping to the industrial tiles underneath his feet.

"Don't know whatcha got til it's gone, huh?" JJ inquired over her shoulder, arching a brow knowingly.

"She'll barely talk to me anymore. I can't even get close enough to her to apologize," Morgan muttered, his face falling as he spoke, jerking his head up to meet her eyes for a bare moment.

"Well," JJ said, pausing in the hallway just beyond the elevator bank to look at him as she dropped her hands to her hips, "You never know when that golden opportunity will present itself. Don't turn you back on it when you find it."

"Hell, JJ, that woman is never gonna willingly let me within spitting distance if it doesn't have to do with a case," Morgan groaned, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm beginning to think it's a lost cause."

"You hurt her, Derek. First, with Tamara. Then, with Emily," JJ reminded him softly but firmly. "It was a double whammy."

"Okay," Derek moaned, holding up a hand, "I can understand Tamara. I was a jerk and an idiot. I told my best friend to butt out. But Em? JJ, nothing ever happened. Nada. Zilch."

"But you left Garcie out of your life, Derek. At a time when she needed you most. Or do you think that breakup with Kevin in the middle of everything that was happening here was easy? And in case you missed it, you were at the root of that, too. Kevin got tired of feeling like he was second choice."

"And that's my fault?" Derek yelped quietly, lowering his voice at the last moment as a new group of interns passed by them.

"Well, yeah!" JJ said disgustedly, waving a hand in his direction. "Especially since you've always been Garcie's first choice," she snapped. "Now, come on," JJ said, jerking her head toward the supply closet cum filing room, "I'd like to get home some time tonight. And remember," she added, "don't look a gift horse in the mouth," she said ominously, shoving Derek into the dim closet and closing the door quickly behind him.

"What the Fu-...JJ!" Derek yelled, catching himself against the wall as JJ virtually shoved him into the room. Damn! That little blonde apparently had been working out when no one had been looking because her upper body strength was impressive!

"Peaches?" Pen yelled from the back of the closet, quickly heading toward the door as she caught sight of a confused Derek Morgan. Her face hardening immediately, she demanded, "What're you doing? JJ went to get Rossi!"

"No, I didn't!" JJ called out helpfully from outside the door, shoving a sturdy broom handle through the lock on the door and pulling a metal chair under it and bracing it under the knob. Sinking gratefully into it for a second, she wiped her sweating brow as her chest heaved from exertion. Gee, this Cupid stuff was hard work! She was going to demand copious amounts of repayment from all of these people that had benefited from her efforts!

"JJ!" Morgan growled, pressing one hand to the wood of the door as his other tried to viciously turn the knob, "Let us out, girl!"

"I don't think so," she yelled, glaring over her shoulder at the rattling door. Pumping a fist in the air, she congratulated herself on her success. She was wily. She was cunning. She was done! The rest was up to them now.

"Gumdrop," Pen called, shoving Morgan roughly aside as she pressed an ear to the closed door, "What're you doing?" she said sweetly, knowing that her best friend in the world surely wouldn't be considering leaving her in this confined space with this man, now would she? And if she was, then let the record show that there would be hell to pay in the very, very near future!

"Helping you," JJ said succinctly, glancing over her shoulder at her best friend's deceptively mild voice. She had no doubt that Penelope Garcia was mentally structuring her downfall, regardless of their lengthy friendship.

"To commit a homicide?" Penelope asked fiercely, glaring hotly at a slack jawed Morgan.


	3. Chapter 3

**Behind the Barred Door**

**Chapter Three**

Hearing no response coming from the other side of the door, the blonde that had been so talkative up to this point suddenly mute, Penelope Garcia stomped her heeled foot against the linoleum floor as she called out, her tone darkening by the moment, "Jennifer Jareau Rossi, I swear to the gods of GUI that I will personally string you up by your ponytail and let you swing from those rafters in your husband's cabin if you don't open this door immediately!"

"I don't think she's listening to our threats anymore," Morgan offered softly as he stared alternately between the door and the woman caught on the other side with him, knowing from experience to never completely take his eyes off of her when she was in a mood like this.

Ignoring the infuriating man completely, Garcia pounded her manicured hand against the door with a resounding thud. "Damn! This thing is made out of steel, isn't it? Who puts a steel door on a freaking broom closet?"

Venturing to answer her question, Morgan let out a deep breath as he muttered, "I'm sure whoever did was following some sort of building regulation, baby girl."

Huffing as she glared in his direction, not failing to notice that he apparently had made himself right at home leaning casually against the shelf, Penelope snorted loudly. "You want to bring up rules and regulations, Morgan? I don't think those are exactly your best subjects, now are they?" Waving a hand as he opened his mouth to start to protest, she snapped, "Save it. Just tell me you have your cell phone on you and we'll get the hell out of this torture chamber post haste."

"Sorry, Baby Girl. No dice," Morgan shook his head, wincing as she raked him with a frigid glare. Damn, the woman could literally start a new Ice Age with just one flick of her eyes!

Turning back to the door, Garcia smacked her hand angrily against the flat surface. "Gumdrop, this is a new low! I know you are still there! I can hear you plotting! Let me out of here."

"I'm sorry, Garcia, but I can't do that," JJ called back patiently, shaking her head even though no one could see her. "This for your own good. You two have a butt-load of issues to work out before I even consider opening this door. And trust me, I can wait you both out." Pausing as she was met with cold silence from the other side of the door, JJ continued, softening her tone slightly, "But I'm not entirely merciless. I left you with a survival box. It's behind the box of files marked Feist. Food and water."

"Exactly how long to you plan on holding me hostage, JJ?" Morgan barked, his eyes immediately flicking around the room until he found the box in question. If the newest Mrs. Rossi deemed it necessary to provide them with sustenance, she apparently wasn't planning on this to be a five minute lockdown.

"Is that a tone, Derek?" JJ called sweetly, cocking her brow as she stared at the plain metal door. "If I were you, I'd remember our conversation earlier in the hallway," JJ warned. "Or do you want this to be another missed opportunity?"

Damn it, Morgan thought, stealing a look at Garcia. He knew that he and the other woman needed to talk. But he'd been picturing wine and candlelight in his fantasies. Not a musty closet, stacked with years of castoff office furniture and enough files to start a forest fire. "Jayje, I really don't think this is a good idea," Morgan called in a last ditch bid for freedom, carefully keeping his tone on a level that she couldn't find fault with.

"Look, you two!" JJ replied with a snap in her voice, stomping her foot against the tiled floor. "The tension is killing the team. I can't fix Hotch and Emily, but you two....it's different." Eyeing the door determinedly, she demanded, her tone brooking absolutely no argument, "Work it out!"

And then the two occupants of the small confined closet were met with silence. Grim, deafening silence.

"JJ?" Pen called hopefully, feeling her chance of escape diminishing rapidly.

"Jayje? Girl?" Morgan shouted, his voice raised with weeks' worth of pent-up frustration.

Met with only silence, Garcia and Morgan exchanged a long look as realization descended on both parties. They were trapped. Alone. But also together. And never further apart.

"Sweetness," Morgan said cautiously, raising his hand as he watched Penelope Garcia's calculating eyes rake over him. "I had nothing to do with this."

"This is your fault," Garcia bit out, pointing a manicured black tipped finger at him as she took a step in his direction.

"How is this my fault?" Morgan yelped, his cheeks flushing underneath his dark skin. "I'm as much an innocent victim here as you are."

Narrowing her gaze, Penelope snorted as she rolled her heavily mascaraed eyes. "Innocent is never a description you could be given, Derek. There's not one innocent bone in your body. You know it. And I know it."

"When the hell did you become judgmental, Baby Girl?" Morgan asked darkly, instantly regretting the hastily asked question the instant it left his lips.

Eyes widening at the other man's audacity, Penelope dropped her hand to her hips and smiled coldly. "Do you really want the answer to that question, Derek? Because I'll be happy to oblige that teeny tiny mind of yours with an answer if you really want it."

Shoulders dropping as he released a long sigh, he knew he'd asked for it. Him and his damn loose lips. Grabbing an old rolling chair from the corner of the closet, Morgan lowered himself onto it, the springs creaking in protest. "Lay it on me, Mama. I asked for it."

"Oh, you've been asking for it, Agent Hot Stuff," Penelope grumbled, turning to eye the door angrily again. Jerking her head back to him, she growled, "And why the hell are you sitting down? Do something to get us out of here!"

"I'm sitting because I'm waiting for an answer to the question I asked. And as for getting out of here, that," he said, nodding at the door, "is a steel reinforced door. We aren't going through it until somebody lets us out of here."

"You've got your gun," Pen said, nodding toward the holster at his waist then back at the door. "Shoot your way out."

"Won't work," Morgan shrugged easily, having already considered that option and discarded it just as quickly. "The bullet would just ricochet and could strike one of us. Relax, mama, somebody will eventually let us out. Until then, maybe we should do what JJ suggested and try to talk this thing out between us."

"I don't have anything left to say," Pen snapped, shaking her head, her multi-colored locks flying in multiple directions. "I tried months ago and got told to keep out of your life. So, this is me," she said, holding up her arms, "staying THE HELL out of it!"

And looking at his sweet Penelope's normally open, hopeful face contorted into a grimace of pain and anguish, Derek Morgan winced. And realized that he'd fucked up beyond any level he'd ever achieved before. But he missed his girl...his Penelope…and he wanted her back. So, he decided with a grim mental smile, it was time to clear the air between them. And this smelly, dusty closet would serve the purpose as well as anywhere.


	4. Chapter 4

**Behind the Barred Door**

**Chapter Four**

Drawing in a deep breath, Derek Morgan decided that since he was obviously the one at fault, then he was the one that needed to make the first move. "Look, Baby Girl, I'm…."

Throwing up a hand, she stopped him immediately before he could utter another word. "Stop right there. You can refer to me as Garcia or Technical Analyst Garcia. That's it. You lost the right to use those other names. Those are reserved for someone who actually cares for me and my feelings."

Swallowing as he felt his jaw tightening at the snap in her tone, Morgan met her flashing eyes as he said softly, "I do care, Garcia. I care a lot. I think I just forgot how much there for a while."

"Oh, I can see how easy that would be, considering that your mind was obviously distracted by all those other women in your life," Garcia snorted as she stomped back toward the far corner of the small area, her eyes scanning the stack of boxes until she found the particular white box she was searching for.

Watching carefully as she jerked a cardboard container with a grunt, Morgan jumped up out of his seat, eating up the small space in four large steps. Grabbing her hands as she attempted to lift the box, he said, swatting ineffectually at her hands, "Let me do that. You don't need to strain your back."

"Do not think you're in a position to begin giving me orders, Morgan," Penelope growled over her shoulder, straining to reach the obstinate survival kit JJ had ever so sweetly provided. "There'd so better be a form of chocolate in this thing," she grumbled, catching her breath as she felt familiar warm hands gripping her hips.

"Penelope, damn it," Derek groaned as he tried to move her out of the way, finding that she had dug her heels in tightly and refused to move from her task. "Just let me get the damn box."

Wrapping her arms around the carton sized file box, Penelope hissed over her shoulder, "Over my dead body. You will starve before I share so much as a crumb of whatever's in here. Lemme go."

Hearing her soft demand just as the makeshift ladder she'd created began to falter, Derek smiled grimly. "Just remember, you told me to," he shrugged, releasing her hips as her eyes widened and Penelope Garcia crumbled on her own pedestal, falling in an unceremonious heap.

Glaring up from her position on the floor, white box still clutched in her arms, Penelope ground out, "Why am I not shocked?"

"About what?" Derek snapped, the usually loving woman's cold attitude wearing on his nerves in the confined space. Couldn't the woman understand that he was trying to make amends?

"You letting me fall," Penelope muttered, setting the box to the side as she gripped the metal side of the towering bookcase to heft herself back to her feet, well prepared to wallop him if the need arose.

"Oh, for the love of Christ," Derek growled, rolling his eyes as he reached down to gently grab Garcia's arm to gently ease her back to her feet before she could open her mouth to argue. Staring down into her flashing eyes, he exclaimed in self-defense, "You told me to let go!"

"Since when do you listen to anything I have to say?" Penelope replied with a sweet smile, one that was filled with entirely too many teeth for Derek's comfort. Somehow it reminded him of the line from the fairy tale his grandmother read to him as a small child. And if he remembered correctly, those big teeth were used to eat up unsuspecting innocents, weren't they?

Picking up the box that she had been so insistent on recovering and placing it in her arms, he begged, "Look in that thing and tell me there's a Hershey's bar. Maybe then you'll become halfway human."

"Don't bet on it," Penelope muttered, carrying her treasure trove toward the creaky chair Derek had vacated. He'd stolen her heart, the very least she could do was steal his chair, she silently decided in emperor fashion. At least JJ had planned ahead, which made her reduce her anger toward that devious blonde by a small iota. Reaching into the box, Penelope squinted in the dim light. "You've got to be kidding me," she huffed aloud as she shifted through the various items.

"What?" Derek asked from his position leaning against the wall, carefully guarding the distance between them. "What'd she put in there?"

"Nothing you have to worry about needing," Penelope murmured, eyeing the supply of condoms lacing the box. Even in a perfect world where Derek's penis had superhuman abilities, would they ever need that many condoms? How long did that gutsy little blonde plan on abandoning them for anyway?

Pushing off the wall, Derek looked over Garcia's shoulder at the contents of the box. Damn, JJ must have been one hell of a Girl Scout in her childhood. That woman had taken being prepared to a whole new level. He couldn't contain the eruption of laughter that he released, the obvious machinations of their common friend lightening the moment. "Think she had high hopes?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow as he met Penelope's darkening eyes.

"Evidently, she's heard the rumors about you," Penelope snorted, spying a super-size chocolate bar at the bottom of the box. Seeing Morgan look longingly at it, Penelope shook her head as she narrowed her eyes in his direction. "Don't even think about it," she warned, clutching the chocolate to her ample breasts.

"Can I at least have the edible underwear?" Derek asked hopefully, eyeing the package sticking up over the edge of the box. "I haven't eaten all day, Baby Girl."

Seeing those dark mocha eyes looking at her pleadingly, Pen relented marginally. "Fine," she snapped, throwing him the red box as she snorted derisively, "It's not like you haven't eaten your way through those before."

Sighing as he dropped to the floor beside her chair and tore through the cardboard packaging, Morgan glanced at Garcia, busily peeling the wrapper on her own candy bar. "Mama, we've gotta talk," he said quietly after a few silent moments, the only sound the rustling of their respective candy wrappers. "We can't go on like this."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you told me to stay the hell out of your life," Pen said around a hunk of chocolate, her eyes sparkling shooting daggers at him as she tapped her heeled foot against the linoleum floor.

Licking his lips as he broke off a piece of the candied underwear, he kept his eyes on the candy as he noted, "For the record, I don't think I actually used those words."

"Dress it up any way you want, Derek. The meaning was the same," Penelope shrugged, the hurt and disappointment of that afternoon still weighing heavily in her heart.

"Sweetness, I was an idiot," Derek said quietly, watching her chew the bite in her mouth, those beautiful lips of hers sliding erotically around another slice of dark chocolate.

Stiffening at the use of his endearment, Penelope shook her head as she tightened her hand around her candy wrapper. "And now you're stating the obvious, Agent Morgan. Unless you have something interesting to impart, I suggest you reserve your right to remain silent."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note: Thank you to everyone reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting this story. I'm extremely grateful and truly appreciate hearing from each of you. I'm going to try and get some writing done tomorrow, so, the next post will be Friday. Thanks!! As ever, we don't own Criminal Minds.**_

**Behind the Barred Door**

**Chapter Five**

Shaking his head as he settled against the wall beside the chair, Derek Morgan murmured, "I think staying silent has been as detrimental to our friendship as any action I took. If you don't mind, I think it's time we started talking."

"I do mind," Garcia whipped out, turning her flashing eyes in his direction as she jabbed his well-toned shin with her pointed toe shoe. "I think I've heard everything you've had to say already, and I'm not looking forward to a repeat of those oh-so stunning moments, thank you very much."

Letting out a deep sigh as he shifted just out of reach of her pointy missiles, he dropped the remaining uneaten edible panties onto his lap as he stared up at her. "You said I could talk if it was interesting. I think saying that I'm sorry is interesting, don't you?"

"Depends," Garcia muttered, shoving another piece of broken chocolate on her tongue as she turned her eyes away from his, those simple words trying to force their way through the shield she had built around her soul. Damn him, she thought bitterly as she chomped on the sweet treat, how had he managed to make her actually want to listen again. Swallowing, she added, toughening her voice, "Depends on whether it's just another ploy to get me to talk to you again."

"No games, no ploys, no subterfuge, Penelope," Derek assured her, leaning forward in the confined space, hoping to catch a glimpse of her normally vibrant and beautiful eyes. "It's the truth. I can't tell you how sorry I am."

Turning her head back in his direction as she shifted in the squeaky chair, she demanded, narrowing her eyes, "Okay. If that's true, exactly what are you sorry for?"

"How far back do you want me to go, Baby Girl," Morgan joked, relieved to see a slight softening in her face, an infinitesimal relaxing in her posture. At this point, he was going to take any positive movement, no matter how small, as a check in the plus column.

"Birth," Pen snorted, breaking off another piece of chocolate and popping it into her open mouth, letting the sweet treat sooth her wounded soul.

Wincing at her snapped word, Morgan asked, "That far? How about we start where I really KNOW that I fucked up?" Meeting her eyes and seeing the questions flying in her gaze, he said evenly, "Tamara." Seeing her stiffen again, he held up a hand before she could once again rail in his direction. "Baby Girl, you've got to give me a chance here to explain things. Tamara was a mistake for a lot of different reasons. But I don't think you're aware of them all."

"Oh, I've gotta list, Derek," Pen replied dangerously, tapping her foot against the tiled floor as she once again stared daggers across the small space.

"I'm sure you do, Mama," he nodded, holding up a hand. "But I'm betting my list is longer. Besides the obvious Bureau mandates I violated, I broke some pretty important personal codes, too. And they're a lot more important to me than anything the Bureau could throw my way."

"Evidently not so important that you'd allow me to point anything out to you," Penelope bit out, chewing violently on the bite of chocolate in her mouth, her fingers busily attacking the remaining sections of the bar. "You were pretty clear on that, Hot Stuff," she accused, unconsciously reverting into her pet name for him before her mind could stop her.

"I know, Sweetness. But part of that was because I already knew I was fucking up. And hearing you call me out on it, just reminded me how far I was falling. I knew I was disappointing you...disappointing myself and I got defensive. Pen, within twenty-four hours, I'd ended things."

"You did?" Penelope asked numbly, her tapping foot suddenly stopping as she comprehended that particular piece of news.

"My hand to God, Baby Girl," Derek nodded solemnly, raising his hand to back up his words. "But by the time I worked up my courage to tell you...you'd started distancing yourself from me. Hell, Pen, you used Lynch as a human shield."

"What did you expect, Derek? My best friend basically told me to take a hike!" Penelope exclaimed defensively as she leaned forward, her candy wrapper falling to the side against the chair.

"And your best friend wanted to make things right. But that was always part of the problem, wasn't it? Neither one of us just wanted to be friends, did we?" Derek asked softly, his dark eyes holding her hostage as much as the barred door was. "You weren't just angry about Tamara because I was messing around with her and wouldn't listen to you. If that's all it was, the fact that I got close to Emily wouldn't have bothered you so much."

"Don't go there, Derek," Penelope warned tightly, her lips pressing together as she stared at the box sitting on the floor between them, needing something other than him to focus on.

"We have to go there, Angel," Morgan countered quietly.

"I was NOT jealous of Emily," Penelope huffed, throwing her empty candy wrapper on the floor and jerking the box back into her lap. Chocolate! She really, really needed chocolate. Rifling angrily through the contents, her eyes narrowed on the small body paint bottle. Chocolate fudge. It'd do in a pinch. And, sparing a glare towards Morgan, she decided that this DEFINITELY qualified as a pinch.

Jerking off the attached brush and throwing it to the side, she popped the top on the bottle. Squeezing a good stream into her mouth, she saw Morgan battling his laugh.

"What in the hell is that, Baby Girl?" he chuckled, watching her throat work as she swallowed the contents in her mouth.

"Chocolate fudge body paint," Penelope muttered, eyeing the bottle in her hand contemplatively. "Evidently, JJ was planning for any eventuality."

"For a chick known for her diplomacy in any situation, she wasn't exactly going for tact and discretion this time, was she?" Morgan grinned as he watched her squeeze another drop onto her tongue.

"She knows her audience," Pen retorted tartly, swallowing as she flipped the lid on the small bottle. "And I'm not talking about me!" she added quickly as he opened his mouth to comment.

"Yeah, you're the picture of sexual innocence," Derek snorted, raising a knowing brow as he stretched his legs out in front of him, her feet resting against the edge of her chair "Your exploits..."

"Pale in comparison to yours," Penelope said quickly, her cheeks heating. Too bad that ass knew as many of her secrets as she did his. Why the hell had she ever confided in him, anyway?

"Well, I think JJ's aware of both of our particular appetites," Derek said with a pointed look at the box between them, still amazed that the woman in question had managed to accumulate such a collection of interesting items.

"I will not be distracted with the notion of really good sex," Penelope declared primly, straightening as she squirted another dollop of chocolate sauce between her parted lips. She'd simply sublimate her baser urges with chocolate. It certainly sounded like a reasonable idea in her mind.

Too bad no one explained THAT to Derek Morgan.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Author's Note: Thanks again to everyone that is reading, reviewing, alerting or favoriting our stories. We truly appreciate hearing from each and every one of you in whatever way you choose to communicate. With ten ongoing stories, this will probably be the last post until Sunday afternoon/evening. Hopefully, we'll be able to bring back some quality chapters to you. As ever, we don't own Criminal Minds._**

**Behind the Barred Door**

**Chapter Six**

"Oh, Baby Girl," Derek grinned up at her flushed face, shifting his foot against hers, rubbing the toe of his shoe on her bare leg, "I can guarantee you that it won't just be really good sex. It'll be out of this world, mind-blowing, forget your name sex."

Cocking one eyebrow at him as she swallowed another dollop of the chocolate, she snapped, "You sound awfully sure of yourself, hot stuff." Not that she was disagreeing with his statement. Why fight the truth? She had no doubt that if they ever managed to get their collective act together, then JJ's box of goodies wouldn't come close to meeting their needs.

"Just stating the obvious," Morgan shrugged, grinning as she jerked her leg away from his curious foot. Leaning forward, he said, cajolingly, "Come on, Mama. You know you've thought about it."

"I've also thought about murdering you on a regular basis, but I see you're still alive and the bane of my existence," Penelope deflected, valiantly ignoring the sudden tightness in her chest that just seemed to manifest when he turned that thousand watt smile of his in her direction. Dutifully bringing the chocolate bottle back to her mouth, she squeezed in another sip as she attempted to satisfy her body's insistent urges with another vice. Surely one was as good as another, wasn't it?

Watching as her tongue slipped out to catch those drops of dark chocolate, Derek Morgan let out a low whistle of appreciation at the beauty before him. "Come on, Sweetness. Cut a guy a break. You're killing me over here!"

"No," Penelope drawled sweetly, shaking her head, her vibrant curls spilling against her shoulders, "I haven't even given a half-assed attempt at killing you yet, my pesky profiler. You'll know when I do."

Groaning, Derek dropped his head back, smacking it against the pointed edge of one of the many boxes filling up the closet. "Ow!" he muttered, glaring over his shoulder at the protruding carton, wondering if he could file a worker's comp suit damages incurred while being locked in a storage closet by a deranged co-worker. "You know, JJ could have found us a more comfortable location to stage her little coup de grace," he complained, rubbing the throbbing spot at the base of his head.

"Tell me about it," Garcia grumbled, shifting in the creaky, uncomfortable desk chair she sat on, kicking her foot. Raising an eyebrow in measured consideration, she continued, "But, alas, revenge is sweet. And, trust me, there will be comeuppance for her attempt at espionage. Her treachery will not go unpunished."

"Come on, Baby Girl. There are worse places you could be than trapped in a closet with me," Derek grinned, reaching a hand out to stroke the inside of her ankle, letting his fingers linger against her skin with a practiced touch. He just knew she would be ticklish, and now would be the time to test that theory out.

Jerking her foot out of his reach, Pen frowned as she tucked her legs in the other direction. "Probably," she conceded, "but, I'm having a difficult time coming up with those alternatives right now."

"Maybe that's because you're distracted," Derek murmured, scooting fractionally closer to the spitfire that had caught his eye from the word go. For a variety of reasons, he'd spent years telling himself that she was off limits, making excuses to himself as to why a relationship between them could never work. He'd been grasping at straws, though, his best intentions flying out the window in the face of such an amazing woman. Looking up into her sparkling eyes, still obvious in the dim light of the crowded closet, he could see that now. This moment had been inevitable, predetermined from the first moment he'd laid eyes on her all those years ago. If only he'd been smart enough to follow his heart then. If only.

"You know you're going to forgive me, Sweetness," he cajoled, looking up at her with eyes that he knew she found irresistible, deliberately blinking his long eyelashes. "You love me too much not to give me another chance."

"A chance to what, Derek?" Penelope snapped, squeezing the plastic bottle a bit tighter in her fingers. "Stomp all over my heart again?"

"I never meant to do that," Derek replied with soft vehemence, reaching out a hand in repentance. "I never intentionally set out to hurt you or anyone else."

"Too bad," Penelope shrugged indifferently, leaning her head back against the top of the battered chair. "You were pretty effective. I'd hate to see the damage you could do if you actually put your mind to it, Hot Stuff." Keeping her resistance at DefCon Four was harder than she thought, though, and she felt her shields start to slip ever so slightly. Don't do it, Penelope. Don't let him slide seamlessly past those defenses that you've spent months painstakingly building, she counseled herself. Hadn't she allowed him to hurt her enough? A few whispered words in a darkened closet did NOT make up for hours upon hours of tears and heartbreak. God, when she remembered all those countless nights she'd lain in her bed, recounting that conversation with him, her heart quite literally ached with a fresh horror. And that kind of pain wasn't something you forgot because of a few heartfelt apologies, now was it?

Grimacing as he watched her eyes become distant and her face harden once again, Morgan gently touched her knee, coming to his knees in front of her chair. "Baby Girl, tell me what to do," he beseeched, wriggling closer. "Tell me what I can do to make this better. Tamara is a thing of the past. She's someone who I should never have allowed myself to even look at. And Emily...I wanted to be the kind of guy that Em needed. Because she DID need somebody. And I needed to prove to myself that I could be that KIND of somebody. But I was never HER somebody. I never wanted to be."

"You did a good impression of her somebody, Derek," Garcia said softly, staring down at her primly folded hands, forcing herself to focus on the slightly chipped pinky nail that ruined her otherwise perfect manicure.

"We were just friends, Pen. That's all," Morgan insisted, dropping his hands lightly on her knees, sliding his fingers over the edge of her flowing skirt. "Emily is and has always been in love with her baby daddy. I just filled in on the grunt work while he got his shit together," Morgan shrugged, negating her fears and arguments with the truth, unwilling to let her believe that he was allowing anyone else to come between them again.

"I know how Emily felt about YOU, Derek. You're forgetting, I'm pretty good friends with her, too," Penelope reminded him evenly, avoiding his eyes as she shifted in her chair, sternly telling her body to just ignore how amazing his hands felt on her legs. "It wasn't her feelings that concerned me."

"I swear on my life, Baby Girl, I never had those kind of feelings about Prentiss," Derek vowed solemnly, reaching out to gently touch Garcia's hand. "Helping her out, it just reminded me about the things I'm missing from my own life. You know me, Angel. Even before we went on the outs, I played fast and loose with my life. I thought about the moment. I never stopped to consider the future. And I certainly never imagined one where you weren't there in it with me."

Pausing for a moment as he gathered his thoughts, he eased his hand against her cold fingers, linking them together loosely. "Seeing Emily and Hotch struggle these last couple of weeks has reminded me that some things are worth fighting for, no matter how much it scares you. And for me, Sweetness, you're one of those things. One of those things that I don't think I could live without." And as Derek finished his tender declaration and looked in Penelope Garcia's eyes, he prayed that he'd somehow managed to impact that icy barrier she'd built around her heart.


	7. Chapter 7

**Behind the Barred Door**

**Chapter Seven**

"But how do I know you won't just revert back to type at a future date, Derek?" Penelope asked softly, holding her hand perfectly still as she let his words wash over her. If she was being true to herself, then she had to admit that she wanted to believe him, desperately wanted to grab hold of the silver cord that was being flung through the air. But self-preservation demanded that she look before she leaped, having fallen off that cliff already.

"Because I'm telling you that I refuse to make that mistake again, Penelope," Derek replied, watching as she blinked slowly, her expressive eyes hooded as she obviously processed his words. Process faster, he wanted to urge, his heart pounding louder in his ears than he could ever remember before. "If I lose you, then I've lost the most important thing in my life and I may as well take my last breath now."

Letting out a sigh at his words, she rolled her eyes as she shifted against him, her hand settling a bit closer against his. "Don't you think that's being a bit dramatic, Derek?" she snorted, an unconscious smile playing on her full lips as she stared into his bottomless eyes.

"Baby Girl, if you want drama, I will act out the entire balcony scene to Romeo and Juliet right here, right now, if that's what it takes," Morgan promised immediately, easing closer to her as he sneaked out his other hand, running his fingers over the wave of her silky hair.

"I don't want any words from Shakespeare or any other of those long-haired dudes," Garcia whispered, feeling her throat tighten as she watched him lean forward, those deep black eyes drawing her deeper into his soul. "I just want to know that you mean what you say this time, Derek. Besides," Pen grimaced, her lips tightening, "if I remember my eleventh grade lit class, that story didn't have a real uplifting ending, , my literate Lothario."

"Our story has a better ending, Sweetness. I promise you that," Derek whispered, trailing a gentle finger over her flushed cheek.

"Stop touching me," Pen muttered, batting his hand away from her face, her cheeks warming even more. "I can't think straight when..."

"Then maybe it's time for us to stop thinking and start feeling, Mama," Derek suggested, his chocolate eyes mesmerizing her.

Nope! Nope, nope, nope! How could she possibly allow him to make it this simple when he'd put her through literal months of hell? How was it that he could come in here...or be shanghaied in here...bat those long gorgeous eyelashes of his, and her insides suddenly liquefied to the consistency of goo? Aarrrggghhh!

She'd had a nice guy. A decent man that had done his best to put her needs above his...to always make sure that she knew exactly where she rated in his life. But had she appreciated it? Of course not. When had she ever made the easy, sane, rational choice in her life? Oh, no...she had to moon for the BAU's answer to the American Badass. And finally, the nice guy had gotten tired of finishing last. And who could blame him for walking out the proverbial door?

Certainly not her.

And now, here she sat, locked in a closet with the very man that had consumed her mind, ruining any chance for a healthy, productive relationship with anyone else. Oh, how she wanted to slap that smugly sexy mug of his.

"Baby Girl?" Derek said, shaking her arm slightly as her eyes seemed to glaze over, drawing her attention back to him. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Oh, I heard you," Penelope grumbled under her breath, kicking out her foot against his muscle-bound thigh.

"Wanna share what you're thinking right now, then?" Derek prodded gently, sliding his hand around to cup her calf, the smooth skin teasing his palm.

"Honestly, I'm cursing what a colossal pain in my ass you are," Penelope replied with blunt honesty, refusing to cushion her words. "I was thinking how much easier my life would be if I could just flip a switch inside myself and banish these stupid feelings I have for you."

"Life isn't easy, Penelope. Neither is anything good that's worth having," Derek said softly, meeting her eyes with sincere hope. "And you and I could be really, really good together. You know it. I know it. We've always known it....somewhere inside us, we knew."

"You wanna know what I know, Derek?" Penelope growled, slapping a hand against his muscular chest. "I've spent years wearing my heart out on you! Years! Now, in a few stolen minutes, you want me to just open up my arms and welcome you home? It's not that easy!"

"I'm willing to do the work here, Angel. I'll jump through whatever hoops you want me to," Derek offered immediately, willing to do whatever necessary to make her see he was serious about her, about them. "I don't just expect a free pass here."

"Really?" Pen asked on a snort, quirking one brow as she tapped her foot against the linoleum.

"Yeah, really," Derek replied, matching her tone as he moved nose to nose with her, pressing his hand against her knee, silencing the rat-a-tat.

Oh, his lips were much too close now...his perfectly formed, incredibly soft looking lips warmly fanning her with his breath. And they were as tempting as any chocolate confection that she'd ever encountered...and they were bound to be more addictive. Catching her breath, Penelope saw Derek's eyes narrow, his intent clear.

"Derek," she breathed, that one simple word almost inaudible.

"One kiss, Angel," Derek murmured. "One kiss and maybe this all goes away. Maybe we find out that what we think we've been feeling for all these years is an illusion," he offered, his voice pitched dark and low in the dimly lit closet.

Yeah, right. Like that was ever gonna happen, she thought grimly. She had a better chance of seeing Hotch strip buck naked and streak through Erin Strauss' office with a spinning beanie on his head.

But, Sweet Apple Computer, she wanted that kiss more than she wanted her next breath. "One kiss," she averred, sighing as his face descended toward her without delay. Eyes drifting closed at the first electrifying brush of his mouth, she forced herself to remain silent, still. But as his talented tongue gently split the seam of her lips and he ventured inside, she lost the battle to maintain her silence. Moaning softly as her arms crept around his neck, her fingers dug into his nape, holding him close lest he even think of leaving.

Drawing back slightly, Morgan shook his head. "No luck, Baby Girl. Ain't none of this imagined between us."

"We're so screwed," Penelope groaned, dropping her head against his warm neck, his light laugh rolling in her ears.


	8. Chapter 8

******_Author's Note: Good eve, all! A quick thank you to everyone that continues to read, review, alert and favorite our stories. Please, let us continue to hear from each of you. As always, we enjoy hearing your thoughts and feelings on our stories - even when you don't particularly agree with the plotline. In other news, I will soon be starting a discussion forum called, "Idle Chit Chat on Author's Corner", where, hopefully, we can come together and learn more about each other and the challenges each of us face in writing. Subjects could include, finding a beta, dealing with writer's block, etc. And I'm also hoping to do one to one focus threads with authors on all ships and all pairings where we learn about their stories and the challenges they face. I think this could be a wonderful place where unique people could come together and enjoy themselves. And I really want to gauge the level of interest out there. Please let me know what you think of this idea! I really want to hear from you. Thanks again!_**

**Behind the Barred Door**

**Chapter Eight**

"God, I hope so," Derek groaned, the breath of his words teasing the sensitive slope of her neck and sending a slow shiver up her spine.

"Good to know where your mind is right now," Pen chuckled weakly, its sound muffled by the soft cotton of his shirt as she held on for dear life. "What the hell are we going to do?" she groaned, shaking her head against his solid, strong neck, the feel of his calloused fingers against her skin almost too much for her body to bear.

"Oh, Baby Girl, I've got some definitive ideas about what I'd like us to do," Derek grinned, pulling her supple body away from the creaking chair and into his lap on the floor. "And half of them involve help from the goodies in JJ's box."

"And reward her for her bad behavior?" Penelope frowned, momentarily distracted as she adjusted to her new location, staring up into those deep chocolate eyes that seemed to be reading every single thought in her mind.

"Oooorrrr," Derek drawled with a wicked, gleaming smile, wriggling his eyebrows as he dropped his palms lower on her hips, suggesting easily, "We could look at it as rewarding you for your exemplary behavior."

"Well," Penelope grinned, pretending to consider the suggestion he had just offered with such ease, "aren't you just the smooth operator?" she asked, her eyes twinkling as his arms tightened around her waist, her flowing skirt rising as she straddled his muscular thighs.

"I choose to think of it as coming up with inventive solutions to mild problems," Derek grinned, pressing a kiss to the center of her neck, his tongue gently stroking her flesh provocatively.

"Is that so?" Penelope asked happily, looping her arms around his neck and tilting her head, giving his lips the access they both craved.

"Very, very so," Morgan murmured, slowing unbuttoning the buttons of Penelope's bright yellow top with one hand as his other hand smoothly reached for the abandoned bottle of chocolate syrup.

Quirking one brow as she felt Derek deliberately separate their bodies and ease her backward against the floor, she giggled as the cool chocolate squirted against her chest.

"We'd hate for this not to be used the way God intended, wouldn't we?" Derek murmured, following the chocolate path with his tongue from her navel to breast, grinning mischievously as he felt her shiver beneath him.

Ohhhh, at this rate she was going to be rendered a sticky, incoherent mess in seconds. Mere seconds! And that would only serve to stroke the ego of the evil man hovering above her. And she couldn't have that now, now could she?

Pushing the broad shoulders above her, Penelope grinned as Derek rolled them, landing on his back with her astride him, her wild hair tumbling over him. Reaching for the small bottle in his hand, Pen smiled mischievously as she shook her head. "Obviously, you need a lesson in how this little bottle is used," she chuckled, shimmying down his body and rapidly divesting him of those jeans that fit his perfectly sculpted body like a second skin.

And minutes later, it was Derek Morgan that had been reduced to a babbling pile of mush as Garcia's talented mouth alternately tempted and tortured him into submission.

Listening in great glee as she groaned as he finally grasped the nape of her neck, dragging her gently up his body, Derek conceded with a moan, "Okay, you are the body paint master of the universe, Mama."

Allowing her soft body to settle against his, Garcia nodded as pertly as she could manage under the circumstances. "And don't you forget it," she panted, arching as his hot flesh probed her and his hand reached back into the virtual treasure trove JJ had left for them.

Shifting them again as he dealt with the thin latex barrier they needed, Derek rolled Penelope to her back, gently lifting her leg over his hip as he slid home. "I won't. But there's a few things I think you might want to remember, too."

"What's that?" Pen asked breathlessly, lifting against him, the amazing joining of their bodies almost reducing her to complete silence, an unheard of circumstance in her world.

"I never surrender," he whispered, seizing her lips as their bodies began an intimate dance as old as time itself.

Long, breathless, sweaty minutes later, Derek flopped over on his back with a satisfied grin. Staring up at the dusty ceiling of the small closet, he murmured, "Any complaints, Baby Girl?"

"Just one tiny one," Penelope gasped, holding up a solitary finger as she turned on her side, snuggling next to his perfect body.

"What's that, Angel?" Derek asked, pulling her closer, her soft curves conforming to him seductively.

"Based on the rumors I heard, I thought I was guaranteed a triple," Penelope pouted, her eyes twinkling as she pushed a damp strand of hair out of her glazed eyes.

Raising on one elbow, Derek mock glared down at her as he ignored the uncomfortable linoleum beneath him. "Hey," he yelped, "I was working in a confine space without adequate supplies. When we get out of here, I'll show you a triple."

Laughing lightly as she shook her head, Penelope slowly sobered. "So, you plan on this happening again?" she asked tentatively.

Tilting his head, his expression bemused as he watched her bite uncertainly at her lower lip, Derek asked, "Is lack of oxygen affecting your brain, Sweetness? Of course, this is gonna happen again. And again. And again."

"You sound awfully confident there, Hot Stuff," Pen smiled, relieved to hear his words, nevertheless, sliding her hand over his muscled chest.

"I just know the facts, Mama. I love you. In that soul deep, never felt anything like this before kind of way," Derek replied softly. "I'm not giving that up. Whattaya say to that?"

Pretending to give the matter serious consideration, Penelope said solemnly, "I guess you'd better fish the strawberry paint out of that bag of tricks. We could be here awhile."

Eyes widening as he shifted her against him, Derek growled, "I profess my eternal devotion and you say, 'Please pass the strawberry body paint?'"

"Would you rather used the pina colada?" Garcia asked innocently, squealing as his fingers dug into her ticklish ribs, finding her delightful weak zones with ease.

Grinning as she squirmed against him, Derek laughed as she begged for mercy, knowing that he could easily lose himself in the sound of her happiness.

"Okay! Okay! You win," she yelled finally, her voice octaves higher than normal as she swatted ineffectually at his shoulders. "I love you, too. I do!"

"You sure?" Derek growled, his evil fingers still tickling as he narrowed his eyes in a mock-glare. "I wouldn't want you to say anything you didn't mean, Baby Girl."

"I mean it!" Garcia gasped, nodding rapidly as she looped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. "You know I mean it!"

Ceasing his relentless punishment, Derek dropped his lips against hers. "I mean it, too, Angel. For now and always."


	9. Chapter 9

**_Author's Note: One more chapter to go, loyal readers. As ever, thanks to everybody reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting. We'll be back on Friday for the conclusion. As ever, we don't own Criminal Minds._**

**Behind the Barred Door**

**Chapter Nine**

Glancing up from her paperback as she heard her husband's footsteps at the doorway to their bedroom, Jennifer Rossi smiled at the frazzled look on his face as she asked, eyebrow raised, "I take it that Henry wasn't fond of bedtime tonight?"

Mock-glaring at her as he dropped onto his side of the bed, Dave closed his eyes as he groaned, "That's the understatement of the year, cara. Our son decided that tonight was the night to see if he could outlast Daddy. I'm surprised they didn't hear his yells in the next county."

"Oh, I'm sure they did, seeing as how he was definitely vocal in his objections," JJ grinned, sliding her bookmark into place as she dropped her book on the nightstand. Rolling to face him, she patted his cheek as she soothed, "Poor baby. You got beaten by a one year old. What horror."

Grabbing her hand from his cheek as he pulled her closer, Dave glared down into her laughing eyes as he snorted, "Don't laugh, woman. He's asleep, isn't he? I was beginning to think I was gonna have to just close the door and barricade him inside and deal with the fallout tomorrow."

Her eyes widened suddenly as she slammed her hand against his chest. "Oh, no! The door!"

"Jen? It was just a joke, you know." Watching in bemusement as his suddenly anxious wife scrambled over him, grabbing for the phone on his nightstand, Dave asked, "Bella? What the hell are you doing?"

Ignoring him as she quickly slammed her finger against the various buttons, JJ chanted as she bounced against the soft mattress, "Please answer. Please answer. Please answer." But hearing the ringing suddenly go to voice mail, she moaned as she dropped the phone to the bed. "They're still in there. I just know they are."

"Who's in where, Jen?"

Turning to face her husband, JJ winced as she pressed a hand over her eyes, well aware that she was going to have to confess to her recent attempt at matchmaking whether she wanted to or not. "There kinda might be a door locked at the office. A door with a couple of people locked behind it." Dropping her hand as she resolutely threw her legs over the side of the high bed, she muttered to herself, "This time of night, I can make it back there in twenty minutes. It won't…"

Stretching out quickly, Dave grabbed her hand before she could get too far away, growling, "I don't know what you're talking about, babe, but I'll be damned if you're going out anywhere by yourself tonight. It's pitch black and raining cats and dogs. Hell, I half expected to see an ark floating by earlier, so you're keeping your shapely ass right here with me."

"But, I have to!" JJ exclaimed, pulling frantically against his restraining hand. "They're going to kill me, Dave. That is, they will IF they haven't killed each other first. And that's a really, really big if! You don't want to be a widower before we've even had a good chance to be married yet, do you?"

"Jen," Dave said slowly, measuring the guilty look on his flushed wife's face, "who exactly is they, Bella? Please, tell me that you did not decide to interfere with Hotch and Emily. We agreed..."

Shaking her head quickly, JJ held up her right hand. "I swear, Dave, I did not interfere with anything related to either Hotch or Emily. I promised you. It wasn't them."

Releasing a relieved breath that he would not have to keep his best friend from killing his wife, Dave shook his head as he considered the other options. "Then who..." he began, his eyes widening as comprehension dawned. "You didn't," he whispered, his eyes horrified as he watched her shuffle in her feet, guilt flooding her cheeks with a becoming rosy shade.

"Something had to be done, Dave," JJ argued defensively, throwing up her hands in protest. "You know it did! You'd have done it yourself it you'd thought about it."

"Oh, no," Dave said, wagging a finger at her as he wondered exactly how devious his wife could be. "None of that! You took them hostage, JJ. You kidnapped them inside the Federal Building."

"The mop fell through the bars on the door...and the chair accidentally might have slid under the handle. Coincidence," JJ shrugged, cocking one brow as she dared him to contradict her expert opinion. "I'm innocent until proven guilty."

"My ass," Dave snorted, tugging her down on the bed beside him, the bed dipping as he rolled them both. "How long have they been in there?"

Glancing at the alarm clock on the bedside table, JJ mumbled, "Six hours, give or take."

"Oh, sweet God," Dave groaned deeply, flopping back against the pillows. "Garcia is gonna be rabid when I open that door." Turning to narrow his eyes at the beautiful woman beside him, he growled, "You owe me. Big. You owe me big."

"Now, Dave," JJ murmured sweetly, pressing a kiss to his whiskered cheek as she shimmied slowly up his muscled body.

"Nuh uh," Dave shook his head, capturing her hands. "Say it."

"I owe you big," JJ replied dutifully, batting her eyelashes up at him, her eyes wide. "But you know I had the team's best interests at heart."

"Remember that when Garcia emasculates me and makes it impossible for me to give you any more children," Dave grumbled under his breath, still unwilling to allow her to venture out in the current weather.

"Have I mentioned how much I love you?" JJ whispered softly, pressing small kisses against his neck, nuzzling against his whiskered skin.

"That is not gonna get you out of the hole you've dug," Dave snorted, tilting his head to give her better access as she moved to straddle his hips.

"Really?" JJ asked, her lower lip pouting as she moved seductively against her husband. "Not even if I..." she said, bending to whisper in his ear.

Moving restlessly against her as her wanton words painted a colorful picture, Dave grinned wickedly. "I thought you wanted me to go release the hounds," he breathed, sliding his hands underneath her nightgown, her skin warm and smooth beneath his fingers.

"Our friends have been locked together half the night," JJ said with a soft smile, reaching over to dim the bedside lamp. "I doubt another hour will make a difference, do you?"

"There are moments, Bella, when I truly love that devious mind of yours," Dave sighed happily, rolling his minx to her back as all thoughts of a locked closet door flew out of his otherwise occupied mind.


	10. Chapter 10

**_Author's Note: Several notes today. Thanks to everyone still reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting this story. We truly appreciate hearing from each one of you. There is one more chapter left to this story. Our new discussion forum, "Chit Chat on Author's Corner" is now up and running. Last I looked, it's the last forum listed on page two. Please go take a look. Ideally, it will have an update per day. Please let us know of any threads you'd like to discuss. "Getting To Know You" interviews will hopefully begin on Monday. This will probably be our last update until Sunday night._**

**Behind the Barred Door**

**Chapter Ten**

A full hour and a half later, a muttering David Rossi found himself walking back into the darkened doors of the very offices that he had thought he had left for the day earlier that afternoon. Sighing as he once again wondered how the tiny ball of fire that he married managed to get him into these situations, he had to stop and remind himself that he had volunteered for this particular mission. As a matter of fact, he was fairly certain that at one moment in the middle of a specific pleasurable activity that his wife excelled at that he might have promised all manners of things.

How could he be held responsible if his mind was only capable of one thing at a time? He was only human, wasn't he?

Glancing around the dimly lit empty bullpen, not expecting to see another human being other than the two locked behind a door somewhere, Dave's eyes widened in surprise as he caught sight of the elderly maintenance woman that cleaned their area many nights. Walking toward the jumper-clad woman, he called out softly, not wanting to surprise him, "Hey, Mrs. MacGillacudy. Everything going okay tonight?"

Turning quickly as she pressed her wrinkled hand to her heart, the long-time federal employee let out a gasp as she declared, "Land a mercy, Agent Rossi. You done gone and scared the daylights out of me!"

Smiling gently as he kept his impatience in check, wanting to return home as soon as possible, Dave apologized, "I didn't mean to, Mrs. Mac. I just have something quick to take care of and I'll be out of your hair. You've not happened to see Agent Morgan or Technical Analyst Garcia around here tonight, have you?"

"Not a hair of a soul 'cepting you for the past few hours," the woman replied, shaking her graying head as she swiped at the computer monitors on the various desks in their area. "Been quiet as a church at midnight, it has. 'Cept, of course, that closet in the far corner. Sounds like a bunch of criminals been tearin' up the place, it does. But I don't go near that area no more, not since the time the door jammed on me twelve years ago."

Rounding the corner toward the almost hidden door to the supply closet, Dave sighed heavily as he saw the barricades firmly in place. "I'm afraid that's not one of the criminals we chase, Miss Mac. They don't normally get locked up here at the office. What you've been hearing are a couple of our own."

"Come again?" Miss Mac asked, cocking her head to the side as she stared from the edge of the bullpen.

"It seems that my wife decided that two of our co-workers needed a time-out today and she thought the closet seemed like the perfect location," Dave explained, looking warily at the barred door to the closet.

Inside the closet that doubled as a storage room, Penelope Garcia looked up in surprise as she slapped at Morgan's muscled chest. "Listen, love muffin! I think I just heard our Super Agent's voice!"

Shaking his head as he slid his hand around her hip, pulling her closer in the chair they were currently sharing, Morgan replied tiredly, "Pretty mama, I think you're imagining things. That's just wishful thinking right now. JJ's not planning on letting us out until the start of business tomorrow, I'm sure."

"Seeing as how we just made up in a particularly spectacular way, I hate to disagree with you," Garcia retorted as she struggled to pull up from his comfortable body, "But I know what I hear. Just listen!"

And as Derek Morgan did as the love of his life demanded, he realized that yes, he, too, was hearing the highly recognizable tones of the unit's most famous agent. And by God, that meant that their salvation was near! Watching her scramble toward the door, he jumped up to follow.

"SuperAgent!" Penelope screeched from inside the confines of the small room. "Is that you?" she yelled in a mixture of hope and anger, her hands pressed against the solid wood.

"Oh, how I wish it wasn't me," Dave muttered to himself on the other side as he watched the helpful cleaning lady grab inch her way forward, her eyes widening even more as she cut her eyes from him to the door then back again.

"Let us out, man!" Morgan growled, pounding his fist against the wood as Penelope shimmied back into her skirt, the fabric fighting against her hyper hands. "Hurry up, Mama," Morgan urged as he tugged one-handedly at his jeans. "I can taste freedom."

"Oh, simmer down," Garcia grinned as she ran a hand through her tussled hair. "I seem to remember you having fun taking me out of my skirt a few hours ago."

"Be that as it may," Morgan shook his head, pointing at the solidly closed door, "I'm willing to bet there's real food on the other side of that door."

"Forget the food," Penelope shook her head, bouncing from one foot to the other, "There's a bathroom on the other side of that door!"

"We've all got our priorities," Morgan muttered as both their fists connected with the wood again.

"Rossi!" Morgan yelled violently, knowing that he hadn't just imagined the older agent's voice earlier. Even though he had thoroughly enjoyed the time he had spent with this amazing woman, he was more than ready to explore their new relationship in the wonderful outside world. And David Rossi was apparently their ticket out of this makeshift prison!

"SuperAgent, I know your passwords and your pin numbers!" Penelope shouted warningly, pushing Morgan out of the way as she attempted to glare her way through the massive door. "And I'm not afraid to use them for the powers of evil rather than good!"

"And I'm more than ready to stand back while YOU kick down doors for a while," Morgan threatened, raising his voice another level. "I've heard that's hell on arthritis!"


	11. Chapter 11

**_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone still reading and reviewing our stories. We adore hearing from you. A few housekeeping notes for today...two interviews with two of our amazing fellow authors have been posted today at the discussion forum, "Chit Chat on Author's Corner". Foreverpadfoot and Dustytiger graciously agreed to be my first participants. Please check out their interviews at the forum and take a look at some of their wonderful work. If anyone has a favorite author that they'd like to see interviewed or learn more about, shoot me a PM and I'll see if they're amenable. As always, I really love hearing from you guys! It's an honor to be allowed to write for you. Thanks, again._**

**Behind The Barred Door**

**Chapter Eleven**

Outside the closet, standing on the edge of the bullpen, Miss Mac said sympathetically, "I'd let 'em out, Agent Rossi. Sounds to me like they're plotting your imminent downfall. Painfully."

"This is all my wife's fault," Dave muttered, looking darkly toward the blocked door once again, not at all surprised that his petite wife had managed to out maneuver such two determined people. His Jennifer was a force to be reckoned with, and apparently he was the one on the reckoning side.

"Maybe," Miss Mac nodded, propping her arm against her broom as she stared at the older agent, "but I believe it's your ass hanging over the fire pit now, sir," she noted bluntly, her grey head tilting to the side.

"And if I know Garcia, it's about to be charred beyond all recognition," Dave groaned, walking toward the door as Miss Mac went back to her cleaning. Dropping his hands in his pockets, Dave called loudly, "Okay, you two, we need to get a couple of things clear before I open this door."

"If you don't open this door, Rossi, the only thing clear is gonna be the bruises I leave on your body, man," Morgan growled back, his jaw tightening as he realized that yes, indeed, there was another human being on the other side of that door. A human being that had the ability to release them, immediately.

"Now, see," Dave replied, his voice patient as he shook his head at that barricaded door, "that's the kind of threat I wanna avoid, Derek. Your beef is with my wife, not me. I'm just the emissary she employed to open the door. IF we can come to an equitable arrangement," Dave offered magnanimously, "Then I believe I can ensure your release."

"My former best friend has a lot to answer for," Penelope yelped, banging on the door rapidly with both curled fists as she exchanged a dark look with her new lover, "That's for sure! And believe me, I plan to talk to her about her deception at great length. Now open this door."

"See, I can't do that just yet," Dave replied regretfully, remembering the promise he'd made JJ in the heat of passion. That woman was a master manipulator, and he felt that he would do well to remember that little tidbit for future negotiations.

"Why the hell not?" Morgan barked, relaxing slightly when he felt Penelope's soft hand against his chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt.

"First, I need to know that you two have worked out your differences," Rossi stated, holding his breath in anticipation of the answer.

"Oh, we worked out a lot more than our differences in here," Morgan said with a wicked leer toward the now half-empty box on the floor.

"Good," Dave nodded approvingly, relieved to hear that progress had been made. Perhaps now his wife would retire her matchmaking wings. He believed that would be the best course of action for all involved.

"In fact," Pen purred, winking at Morgan as she continued to yell through the door, "we'd be happy to produce evidence in the form of several empty condom wrappers," she said generously, knowing that if there was one thing that disgusted Agent David Rossi, it was hearing about his colleagues' sex life.

"No thank you," Dave shuddered, grimacing as he made a mental note of specific items to discuss with his wife at a later date. "Your word will suffice, thank you very much. Now, I've only got one more condition."

"What now?" Morgan whined, banging his head against the door with a loud pop.

"I need your word that my participation, which, by the way, was limited to allowing you out of your current prison, will be forgiven and no punishment levied against me. And, yeah, Garcia, I mean you!"

Rolling her eyes at the older man's obvious attempts at appeasement, Penelope chirped, "Fine! But your wife is fair game!"

"Might I request pictures and video of your retribution?" Dave asked with a grin, moving the chair blocking the door aside, the legs squeaking against the tile floor.

"Will it make you move any faster?" Pen growled, tapping her foot as she heard noise on the other side of the door.

"I'll personally put it up on YouTube the moment it happens if you'll just move your ass, Rossi," Morgan begged as he heard something slide from the door.

Pulling a deep breath, Dave opened the door, stepping immediately back out of the flight path as a decidedly disgusted Garcia barreled past him, her legs moving faster than his son's did when he was trying to escape bath time.

"Tell my little Gumdrop that she's living on borrowed time," Pen shouted over her shoulder, disappearing into the lady's room, the door slapping shut behind her.

Turning his gaze from her to a disgruntled Derek Morgan, Dave quirked a brow as he asked, "Was her shirt on inside out and backward?"

"What do you think?" Morgan grunted, grabbing for a candy dish on a nearby desk and popping the treat whole into his mouth, chomping happily.

"I think," Dave drawled, noting the faint bruising just beginning on Morgan's dark-skinned neck, "that YOU, my friend, owe my wife flowers."

"And candy," Morgan returned with a wink as he dumped the entire contents of the bowl into his pocket. "And by the way, Rossi, you might want to tell JJ that the next time she packs an emergency supply box, she might want to include a few protein bars. I appreciate all of her other treats, but we worked up quite a hunger using them, if you get my drift."

Watching as the younger agent sauntered toward his desk, Rossi frowned over his shoulder as he glanced back at the now opened door. Mumbling to himself as he shook his head, "What exactly did my wife put in that box?"

But as he watched Garcia re-enter the area, barreling into Morgan's arms for a scorching kiss, David Rossi decided that apparently, the mission had been successful. And in their current world, the end definitely justified the means.

_**finis**_


End file.
